This invention relates to traffic barricades and more particularly to a traffic barricades of the sawhorse variety.
Roads, highways, sidewalks and other areas of vehicular and foot traffic are frequently subject to maintenance and reconstruction activities. Typically, such maintenance interrupts the traffic pattern and requires a detour from normal traffic flow. The principal highway warning device in a construction zone is the traffic barricade. This device typically comprises a horizontal reflective member which has a large face or surface structure to provide immediate visual recognition during both daylight and nighttime hours. This horizontal member is typically supported by two pairs of legs which are attached to form a type of sawhorse configuration.
Originally, such sawhorse traffic delineators were constructed of wood. A horizontal board was mounted to vertically inclined boards in the referenced sawhorse configuration using nuts and bolts. This construction requires a host of parts and labor to assemble the traffic delineator. Such barricades were heavy, costly and difficult to stack. Further these barricades were prone to damaging any vehicle that struck the barricade.
There are a variety of other constructions of sawhorse traffic barricades, all with certain advantages and disadvantages. What is needed then is a durable, lightweight sawhorse barricade of simple construction that can be easily constructed and stored.
The preferred embodiment of the invention is a traffic barricade comprised of substantially identical legs forming traffic barricade supports that are used to make the traffic barricade. The traffic barricade supports are rotatably joined together at one end of each leg to allow them to pivot. The traffic barricade supports are themselves joined together with one or more rectangular panels and reflective sheeting is applied to the panels, forming the traffic barricade.
Thus, the invention requires only one type of leg, a pivot mechanism and one or more panels to form the traffic barricade.
In the preferred embodiment two identical legs are pivotally attached at one end to form a traffic barricade support. Two or more traffic barricade supports are attached to one side of a rectangular panel to create a traffic barricade. Although in the preferred embodiment the panel is rectangular, any shape presenting a substantially planar surface to the two or more traffic barricade supports may be used as a panel.
The leg has a triangular cross section with a narrow side, a wide side oriented substantially normal to the narrow side and a hypotenuse side. There is a void or hole formed at a first end of the leg to create a bore through the wide side and the hypotenuse side through which a pivot may be fitted. The second end of the leg is designed to contact the surface supporting the traffic barricade support.
In the preferred embodiment the legs are hollow and made of blow-molded plastic for durability, economy and lightness. In an alternative construction, for example, the legs may be made of roto-molded plastic, metal, and they may be solid or hollow.
The pivot may be a bolt, a cylinder or other suitable member to allow two legs to be pivotally hat attached so that they may rotate between a closed position, with the legs substantially parallel, to an open position where the legs are relatively oriented at an angle. In the preferred embodiment a zinc-plated steel cylinder is used.
The two identical legs of a traffic barricade support are pivotally attached at their first ends in relatively opposite orientation, so that the hypotenuse sides of the two legs face each other. In this manner one leg may nest inside the other in the closed position and the traffic barrier support more compactly folds together.
The maximum angle that the two legs of a traffic barricade support can be opened in the open position is limited by a stop extending outwardly from the first end of the narrow side of each leg. Each stop has a contact surface that, when a first leg is pivotally attached to a second leg, engage to prevent further opening of the traffic barricade support at a predetermined maximum angle. The second end of the leg is beveled so that when the predetermined maximum angle of the traffic barrier support has been reached, the second end is substantially parallel to the ground or other supporting surface. Additionally, the triangular cross section of each leg allows a greater sectional modulus because the area of the cross section of the leg is maximized.
In order to facilitate the stacking of traffic barricades, in the preferred embodiment the narrow side of each leg is formed to have a convexly curved surface first portion and a second portion that is a concavely curved surface. The concavely curved surface and the convexly curved surface are complementary in size and shape.
The convex and concave portions formed on the narrow side of the leg allow traffic barricades made from such legs to be securely stacked. The traffic barricades are stacked in alternating opposite orientations so that the convex portions of the legs of one traffic barrier will fit closely within the concave portions of another traffic barrier. In this manner traffic barriers formed from these legs stack securely and will be less likely to shift or slide in a stack of traffic barriers.
Although these two portions may be of any suitable shape, they are preferably rectangular in shape and formed on opposite ends of the narrow side of the leg. Reflective sheeting may be applied to the panel to make the traffic barricade more visible to drivers.
Additional aspects and advantages of the present invention are set forth in the following description and claims, particularly when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like parts bear like reference numerals.